Generally, cylindrical open-ended housings having a forward and aft closure and a concentric inner liner have heretofore been employed broadly in the production of gas generators and rocket motors.
The prior art has concentrated primarily upon disposable solid fuel rocket motors. However, inherent with such motors are several problems including but not limited to, safety, cost and environmental pollution resulting from the improper disposal of spent motors. Among the prior art means to solve some of these problems and other problems generally associated with the use of solid fuel rocket motors are:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,713,768 which discloses a power gas generating assembly including a rechargeable expendable portion; U.S. Pat. No. 3,144,829 which discloses a solid propellant charge comprising a composite propellant utilizing an organic resin fuel and binder in combination with a solid oxidizer, such as ammonium nitrate, in association with an end cap and igniter assembly for use in jet propelled devices such as missiles, rockets, and the like; U.S. Pat. No. 3,201,933 which discloses a charge for solid propellant rockets in which one cover carries an igniter and a second cover includes a discharge nozzle in combination with a lined housing; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,106 which discloses a segmented solid propellant motor having a plurality of radially extending baffles positioned within the solid propellant case to direct the flow of gas therethrough.
However, none of the prior art devices provide a rocket motor which can be reloaded and reused thousands of times nor did any incorporate a modular design which allowed the user to vary the performance of the motor by using interchangeable nozzles of varied design, different length casings, diverse propellant charges and sizes, different ejection charge delays, and different ejection charge power.
Additional problems associated with solid fuel rocket motors not addressed by prior art include those related to providing a "delayed action" ejection charge/assembly, a way to prevent "blow by" of gases around an ejection charge and a way to ship and store both motor and propellant charge without shipping and safety concerns beyond those associated with the handling of "flammable" products.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the deficiencies and limitations of the prior art rocket motors and to enhance rocketry technology by providing a solid propellant rocket motor which is both indefinitely reloadable and which incorporates a basic and unique modular design which enables the operator to vary the performance of the motor within a wide range of parameters to meet any desired result.